Performance dates: March 18 to April 2, 2011 (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays).

Show description: On a cold, clear, moonless night in the middle of winter, all is not quite what itseems in the remote, mythical town of Almost, Maine. As the northern lights hover in the star-filled skyabove, Almost’s residents find themselves falling in and out of love in whimsical and often unexpectedways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. But the bruises heal, and the hearts mend, almost, in thisdelightfully charming midwinter night’s dream. Produced by special arrangement with Dramatists PlayService Inc.

Cast requirements: 2 Men and 2 Women. "Young" male/female couple (late 20s, early 30s), and a "not-as-young" male/female couple (late 30s, early 40s). Maine accents are not suggested. Each performer willplay the following parts:

Younger Man:Pete - vaguely confused about spacial relations.Steve - no sense of touch, so he keeps a book of "things that can hurt you."Lendall - a fella who has quite a bit of love to give.Randy - Blue collar "county boy."Dave - a not-so-tough man. Has a thing for Rhonda and snowmobiling.

Younger Woman:Glory - looking to connect with an old love by hiking through Maine.Waitress - she serves beer.Marvalyn - looking to do some ironing and get back to her boyfriend.Marci - a young wife who isn't sure what she signed up for.Rhonda - a tough, tomboyish woman. Loves snowmobiling.

Older Man:East - a repairman. He fixes things.Jimmy - used to date Sandrine.Chad - blue collar "county boy."Phil - a guy who wishes he was a little happier.Dan - former HS athlete who never left Almost, Maine.

Older Woman:Ginette - dates Pete; wants to find love.Sandrine - a bachelorette.Gayle - a gal who has quite a lot of love to give back.Hope - former prom queen who left Almost, Maine and came back looking for something.

Please arrive within the first hour of the audition to register. Readings will be from the script, sides

Nutley Little Theatre seeks athletic actors to portray members of a championship Major League Baseball team in the North Jersey Community Theater Premiere of Richard Greenberg’s Tony Award winning drama, TAKE ME OUT, to be directed by Ron Mulligan.Performances begin in April, 2011 with open auditions scheduled for February 13th & 14th, 2011.

The Luna Stage Theatre Company in West Orange, N.J. will present Montclair resident and Comedy Central star, Stephen Colbert in a live performance on January 9, 2011 at the new home of the Luna Stage.

The Comedy Central star will join a reading of Harold Pinter's Betrayal to benefit New Jersey's Luna Stage.

Colbert will play Jerry, a friend of married couple Emma and Robert, whose adulterous affair with Emma is dramatized in reverse chronological order. Jay O. Sanders and Colbert's actual wife, Evelyn McGee-Colbert, will costar.

The stage is not new to Colbert: He majored in Drama at Northwestern University where he hoped to be a serious actor.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

The Bickford Theatre continues its 16th Season of “Stage & Screen” with the New Jersey Premiere of The Little Dog Laughed by Douglas Carter Beane. This Tony Award-winner runs January 20 through February 13 and answers the age-old question: “Will the stars ‘come out’ in Hollywood!”

Rising film star, Mitchell Green, is every girl's fantasy and soon to become a household name, thanks to his devilish agent Diane, who excels at navigating the choppy waters of Hollywood. With Mitchell on the brink of superstardom, Diane encounters one teensy weensy obstacle--she can’t seem to stop her leading man from coming out of the closet! With Mitchell spending days and nights with his new 'friend' Alex, and Alex’s beautiful girlfriend Ellen (yes, girlfriend!) causing a drama of her own, what lengths will Mitchell go to play the part? And will there be a Hollywood ending when the final credits role? Douglas Carter Beane's Tony Award-winning comedy hilariously satirizes the superficial world of show business and the game playing of the movie industry. A naughty comedy about a dirty business!

The Little Dog Laughed stars Liz Zazzi as Diane, Mark Irish as Mitchell, Scott Tyler as Alex, and Cynthia Fernandez as Ellen.Liz Zazzi is thrilled to return to the Bickford Theatre, where audiences will surely remember her from Almost Maine, Dead Certain, and Communicating Doors. She's worked extensively in NJ, notably Prisoner of Second Avenue at Centenary Stage, Cupid & Psyche, Sick, Women Who Steal, Love & Murder, The Adjustment (Best Actress, Star-Ledger), Naked By The River, and Girl with the High Rouge at NJ Rep, First Light Home, Italian American Reconciliation, Red Herring, Brothers Karamazov at 12 Miles West, Memory of Water, Fast Girls, Don't Dress For Dinner at What Exit?, and Pterodactyls (Best Actress, Star-Ledger), Skin of Our Teeth, and Music From A Sparkling Planet at Theatre Project. For “10 Solid Years of Solid Acting” Peter Filichia (Star-Ledger) awarded Liz a “NJ Obie” in 2009.

Mark Irish is very happy to be making his Bickford Theatre debut! He most recently appeared at Cape May Stage Co. in southern New Jersey in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare …Abridged. Other recent credits include Jim Reston in Frost/Nixon, at Arkansas Rep, Tom in Dinner With Friends at the Springfield Contemporary Theatre in Missouri, John Proctor in The Crucible and Marlow in She Stoops to Conquer in rep at the New Harmony Theatre in IN, and Lord Edgar/Jane in Irma Vep at the Horse Barn Theatre in WY. Mark is a graduate of Dartmouth College and an alumnus of the National Theatre Institute. Mark has appeared on all the NY based soaps and worked on numerous films including Regarding Henry and the recently released feature Girl in the Park with Sigourney Weaver. Mark played Dr. Rodney on the premiere season of Nurse Jackie, the Showtime series starring Edie Falco.

Scott Tyler makes his debut at the Bickford Theater. Born and raised in New Jersey, Scott received a B.A. in Theater Arts from Drew University while also graduating from the PapermillPlayhouse Conservatory in Millburn, NJ. He has toured with the George Street Playhouse, Shoestring Players and is a member of the Local Artists Network through Two River Theatre Company. He was most recently seen in Two River Theatre Company's production of Opus. Credits include Capture the Flag (New York Theatre Experiment), Love Song (Alliance Rep.), Boy's Life (Alliance Rep.), A Few Good Men (Villagers), Burn This (The Company), Barefoot in the Park (Two River Theatre Company/Understudy), Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Two River Theatre Company/Understudy) and A Midsummer Night's Dream (New Jersey Arts Incubator).

Cynthia Fernandez is proud to be making her Bickford Theater debut with The Little Dog Laughed. Cindy is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University with a BA in Theatre Arts. She recently toured the nation as a teaching artist with Camp Broadway. Her favorite past credits include Sweet Charity (Nikki), Once In A Lifetime (May), Guys and Dolls (Adelaide), and The Matchmaker (Minnie Fay).

Main Stage Series performances for The Little Dog Laughed are Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 20 and 27, Thursdays at 2 p.m. Feb. 3 and 10, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Please note there is no performance on Saturday, Jan. 29.

Tickets are $40 General Public, $36 Seniors 65 and up, $33 Morris Museum and Theatre Guild Members, $30 Groups of 10 or more, and $20 Students 18 and under or with valid college ID.

To purchase tickets or for further information, please contact the Box Office at 973.971.3706 or visit us 24/7 at www.bickfordtheatre.org. Location: 6 Normandy Heights Road in Morristown, NJ.

The Little PrinceBy John Scoullar and Rick Cummins; conceived by Scott HitzeFinal performances this weekend!Based on Antoine de Saint-Exupery's fable, this beloved classic of children's literature has been turned into a warm, wonderous production for the whole family. Multiple Emmy Award-winning designer Michael Schupbach (Avenue Q, Sesame Street and Jim Henson's Puppet Workshop) designs the characters in this production.For more information, or to purchase tickets:(609) 884-1341

The How and the WhyBy Sarah TreemJanuary 7 - February 13 (World Premiere)

Evolution and emotion collide in this thought-provoking and sharp new play about science, family, and survival of the fittest. On the eve of a prestigious conference, an up-and-coming evolutionary biologist wrestles for the truth with an established leader in the field. Featuring Tony and Oscar winner Mercedes Ruehl, this intimate and keenly perceptive play explores the difficult choices women of every generation face.For more information, or to purchase tickets:(609) 258-2787

The Tangled SkirtBy Steve BraunsteinNow through January 23 (World Premiere)

A thriller in the tradition of Alfred Hitchcock, where a woman on the run and a man who knows too much meet at a desolate bus station, each waiting for the last ride out of town. Will the need to keep their secrets from one another prove a strong enough match for passion and fate?For more information, or to purchase tickets:(732) 229-3166

Les MiserablesComposed by Claude-Michel Schoenberg; libbretist, Alain Boublil; lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. Based on the novel by Victor HugoFinal performances this weekend!

Romance, revolution and redemption, stirring songs including “I Dreamed a Dream” in a dynamic new production. This is the show that inspired Frank Rich of The New York Times to write, “If anyone doubts that the contemporary musical theatre can…yank an audience right out of its seat, he need look no further.”For more information, or to purchase tickets:(973) 376- 4343

Charlotte's WebAdapted from the book by E.B. White by Joseph RobinetteFinal performances this weekend!You grew up with it. Your kids love it. Now see it brought spectacularly and imaginatively to life onstage. With adults, kids, and puppets, too. Celebrate the true meaning of friendship and family with Charlotte the spider, Wilbur the pig, and all the humans and animals on the Zuckerman farm. From the director of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, this is perfect holiday experience to share with your whole family.For more information, or to purchase tickets: (732) 345-1400

Friday, December 24, 2010

When you become a VIP member of njArtsTix.org - the nation's only statewide discount ticketing website for the performing arts - you not only help support live theatre right here in the Garden State, but you'll also be able to purchase discount tickets up to a week in advance of show time (regular njArtsTix users have just 48 hours advance notice of discounts).

Become a VIP member now.

"I just want to say that I am really excited that you started this online discount ticketing program. It's tough enough for us young (twenty-something) people to support ourselves in New Jersey, let alone attend theatre and music events as much as we would like. With this service, I know I will definitely be more willing to take advantage of New Jersey theatre. Thanks!" ~ E. Kantrowitz

VIP memberships are just at $30, but please give as much as you can - remember, it's tax decuctible! Your gift to the New Jersey Theatre Alliance is also a vote of confidence in the future of New Jersey's cultural life. With your help, the Alliance and the theatre community can continue to work together to build audiences, contribute to the economic development of our communities, encourage theatre artists and professionals of today and tomorrow, and bring theatre of the highest standard to all.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Paper Mill Playhouse has announced the casting for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Directed by Marc Bruni,Wendy Seyb, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will run at the Millburn theatre from January 19 through February 13, 2010. Family Week is January 19 to January 23 and during this period children's tickets are half off the regular price (certain restrictions apply). This show is recommended for patrons 13 years and older. with choreography by

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will play the following performance schedule: Wednesdays at 7:30PM, Thursdays at 1:30PM& 7:30PM, Fridays at 8:00PM, Saturdays at 1:30PM& 8:00PMand Sundays at 1:30PM& 7:00PM. Single tickets are now on sale and range in price from $25 to $92. Student rush tickets are $25 and are available the day of performance in person with current student ID. Tickets may be purchased by calling 973-376-4343, or at the Paper Mill Box Office on Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online at Paper Mill Playhouse's website: www.papermill.org. Paper Mill Playhouse gift cards, available in any denomination, can be purchased at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express accepted. Groups of ten or more can receive up to a 25% discount or more on tickets and should call 973-379-3636, extension 2438.

Craving a fun, musical comedy to sweep you up in the action and keep you laughing all the way home? Then this story of six quirky competitors and three oddball adults in search of spelling bee glory is the show for you. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee was nominated for six Tony awards and won two: Best Book of a Musical and Best Featured Actor. David Finkle of Theatremania described the show as "a treat and a half," but one of the songs in the show says it best: "If you like to laugh, if you like to spell, you'll like this competition very well."

"We are thrilled to welcome a superb cast to Paper Mill Playhouse," said Producing Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee. "This clever, heartwarming musical demonstrates that it can be cool to be smart. This production is sure to entertain people of all ages with hilarious antics and a magnificent score."

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee brings a talented cast to the Paper Mill Playhouse stage. Ephie Aardema (Logainne) performed as Liesl in the national tour of The Sound of Music and as Olive in the Media Theatre production of Spelling Bee. She has appeared Off-Broadway in the title role of Dear Edwina and regionally at Circle in the Square, Goodspeed Opera House and Orlando Repertory Theatre. Will Blum (Barfee) appeared in the Broadway and national tour productions of Grease. He has starred in several productions at Center for the Arts on Main and Roxy Regional Theatre as well as at The Boston Conservatory where he earned his BFA in Musical Theatre. Lyle Mackston (Leaf) appeared at New York Music Festival and in the musical revue Rated RSO at Joe's Pub. Currently pursuing a BFA at Pace University, he has starred in Fiddler on the Roof, My Favorite Year, Parade and All Shook Up. Marla Mindelle (Rona) appeared on Broadway in the Lincoln Center Theatre production of South Pacific and in the national tour of The Drowsy Chaperone. She has performed in New York at Playwrights Horizon, National Alliance and Manhattan Theatre Club, and regionally at New Repertory Theatre, New York Stage & Film, and Princeton Opera.

Olivia Oguma (Marcy) has appeared on Broadway in Mamma Mia, Les Miserables and A Christmas Carol, as well as in the national tour of Disney High School Musical. Off-Broadway she performed at Playwrights Horizon and the Lucille Lortel Theatre. A series regular on Sesame Street, she has had a recurring role on As The World Turns and guest stars on Law & Order and All My Children. Jerold E. Solomon (Mitch) performed in South Pacific at Lincoln Center Theatre and in the national tours of BigRiver, Annie and Ragtime. He appeared in several productions at Berkshire Theatre Festival, New York Music Festival, and Ensemble Studio Theatre. Ali Stroker (Olive) has starred in several productions at New Players Company and Surflight Theatre. She has appeared at Playwrights Horizon and American Theatre of Actors as well as on the national tour of The Kids for Kids Project. David Volin (Panch) appeared in the Walnut Street Theatre production of The Odd Couple. Regionally he has performed with New Jersey Repertory Company in The Women of Lockerbie, Klonsky & Schwartz, and The Laramie Project, Arkansas Repertory Theatre in Frost/Nixon, and Gloucester Stage in Enigma Variations. Brandon Yanez (Chip) has been featured at Allegro Productions, including leading roles in Grease, Oliver, West Side Story, and The Sound of Music, and in several cabaret performances of Don't Tell Mama. He has appeared in the touring company productions of Romeo and Juliet and Taming of the Shrew.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will be directed by Marc Bruni. Mr. Bruni recently directed Fanny for City Center's Encores! Series as well as Such Good Friends for which he won a NYMF Award for Excellence in Direction and the new musical Ordinary Days at the Roundabout Theatre. He has served as Associate Director for the Broadway productions of Grease, High Fidelity, The Pajama Game, Sweet Charity, La Cage Aux Folles, WonderfulTown, and The Little Shop of Horrors. Regionally he directed several productions at St. Louis MUNY including The Music Man which earned him a nomination for a Kevin Klein Award. Wendy Seyb joins the production as Choreographer. Ms. Seyb made her Broadway debut this fall as the choreographer of The Pee Wee Herman Show. Off Broadway credits include It Must Be Him at the Peter J. Sharp Theatre and The Toxic Avenger Musical at New World Stages.

Anna Louizos will serve as Scenic Designer. Costume Designer is Alejo Vietti. Lighting Design is by David Lander. Sound Design is by Randy Hansen andJulie Pittman. Andy Einhorn is Music Director and Greg Jarrett is Associate Music Director. The Production Stage Manager is Rebecca S. Fleming. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a co-production with Philadelphia Theatre Company. In conjunction with The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Paper Mill Playhouse is proud to announce a series of free audience enrichment activities including: The Director's Viewpoint, January 19 at 6:30pm, Conversation Club, every Thursday evening at 6:30pm and Q & A With the Cast on February 12 following the matinee. Visit www.papermill.org for more details on Paper Mill Playhouse's Free Audience Enrichment Activities.

PAPER MILLPLAYHOUSE, a not-for-profit arts organization, is one of the country's leading regional theatres. Paper Mill Playhouse programs are made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, A Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by generous contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals. Paper Mill Playhouse is a member of Theatre Communications Group, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the Council of Stock Theatres, and the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.

George Street Playhouse and Artistic Director David Saint announced casting today for their production of Frank Gilroy’s The Subject Was Roses. The three-person cast includes Lee Sellars recently seen on Broadway in the hit revival of West Side Story (and GSP’s production of The Pillowman) as John Cleary, Chris Wendelken as young Timmy Cleary, and stage and screen star Stephanie Zimbalist as Nettie Cleary. The Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award- winning play about a young soldier’s return from World War II only to find another war brewing on the home front will be on the boards in New Brunswick beginning Tuesday, February 8, 2011 and will run through Sunday, March 6. Opening night is set for Friday, February 11. Michael Mastro, seen on the Playhouse stage in productions of The Pillowman and The Sunshine Boys opposite Jack Klugman, will direct.

“The roles in this powerful drama require actors capable of extraordinary honesty”, said Artistic Director David Saint. “We are so fortunate to have a remarkable cast featuring my old friend Stephanie Zimbalist, returning GSP alumnus Lee Sellars and gifted newcomer Chris Wendelken. I am certain that under Michael Mastro's guidance they will provide an unforgettable evening in the theatre."

Creating the world of The Subject Was Roses are scenic designer Michael Schweikardt, costume designer Esther Arroyo and lighting and sound designer Christopher J. Bailey.

Tickets for The Subject Was Roses are now available through the George Street Playhouse Box Office, either by phone at 732-246-7717 or by shopping online at www.GSPonline.org. George Street Playhouse is located at 9 Livingston Avenue, in the heart of New Brunswick’s dining and entertainment district. In addition, groups of 10 or more are entitled to a discount – for further information contact the GSP Group Sales Department at 732-846-2895, ext. 134 or 155.

There are three sides to every story. Buried truths and old emotional wounds resurface when young Timmy McCleary returns to his parents’ home after World War II. Caught in the crossfire of unresolved tensions over money, love and heroism, the new veteran finds himself engaged in a battle on the home front – where all three family members ache for a peaceful détente.

Stephanie Zimbalist Stephanie was a young amateur theatrical entrepreneur, producing, writing and directing pieces in her bedroom hallway, in the stable, and on neighbors’ fireplace hearths. After graduating high school, her ambitions led her to choose a professional drama school over university, which led her to New York. Returning to Los Angeles she worked for her brother and sister-in-law while making audition rounds. In time she starred in television movies, among them the Emmy Award-winning The Gathering, Centennial, The Golden Moment and Tomorrow’s Child, along with the occasional guest series role. After several such projects and two feature films – The Magic of Lassie with James Stewart and The Awakening with Charlton Heston – Stephanie was offered the role of Laura Holt in the series Remington Steele, which she played for five years with Pierce Brosnan and Doris Roberts on NBC. Other television appearances during that time include The Story Lady with Jessica Tandy, Incident in a Small Town for CBS with Walter Matthau and Harry Morgan, and Stop The World – I Want to Get Off, the musical on A&E.

Stephanie made her stage debut in 1979 in the musical Festival at the Las Palmas Theater in Los Angeles with Gregory Harrison and Brian Stokes Mitchell. Other theatre credits include The Tempest with Anthony Hopkins at the Mark Taper Forum, The Cherry Orchard at Long Wharf Theatre, Summer and Smoke and Barbarians at the Williamstown Theatre Festival as well as the National Tour of My One and Only with Tommy Tune. In 1989 she initiated a play to be written for her and Linda Purl – The Baby Dance by Jane Anderson – which they produced and starred in at the Pasadena Playhouse. The production moved to Williamstown and Long Wharf, culminating in a critically acclaimed run at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York.

Recent theatrical credits include The Threepenny Opera with Betty Buckley at Williamstown, The Philadelphia Story at Cleveland Playhouse, The Crimson Thread, the West Coast premiere of AdWars, the title role in A.R. Gurney’s Sylvia at L.A’s Coronet Theater, Wonderful Town with Lucie Arnaz for LA’s Reprise! Series; The Rainmaker; Side Man at the Guthrie Theatre; Varya in The Cherry Orchard opposite Alfred Molina; Dancing at Lughnasa and Jane Anderson’s Defying Gravity at the Rubicon Theatre where she also trod the boards with her father Efrem for the first time in Tennesse Williams’ Night of the Iguana.

For several springs now, Stephanie has opened the Tennessee Williams New Orleans Literary Festival with a reading of one of his plays at their Gala event, sharing the boards with Alec Baldwin, Elizabeth Ashley, John Goodman, Patricia Neal, Linda Hart and Rex Reed. Having worked in New Orleans with the Festival and in Malpractice and made friends in Nola, the recent tragedies there hit especially hard.

Lee Sellars was last seen on the GSP stage as Tupolski in The Pillowman. Recent Broadway credits include the recent revival of West Side Story as well as Talk Radio, Longacre Theater. Other New York theater credits include: A Small Melodramatic Story LAByrinth theater; The Alchemist, Classic Stage Company. Regional theater: The Pillowman , George Street Playhouse; Pig Farm, The God of Hell, Contemporary American Theater Festival. Television: "Chappelle's Show", "The Sopranos", "Lipstick Jungle", "Law and Order" (recurring) and "ER" (recurring). Film : The Savages, Groundhog Day. Lee also writes the music and performs with the New York, alternative, art-rock band; Eelwax Jesus.

Chris Wendelken has spent the last year touring the United States and Europe with Big Dance Theater in Comme Toujours Here I Stand (Bessie Award), performing internationally at Les Subsistances, Le Quartz, Le Lieu Unique, Theatre National de Bretagne, regionally at the Long Center for the Performing Arts, Yale, MCA (Chicago), as well at The Kitchen in New York. Additional theatre credits in NY include the BE Company's production of 7 Stories (urbanStages), Ma-Yi's Iph, Then (TFNC), John Jesurun's Firefall (Dance Theatre Workshop), numerous readings & workshops with the Ephipany Theatre Company, Atlantic Theatre Co., Manhattan Theatre Club and featured roles in films and TV shows, like NBC's Law & Order: SVU. BFA: NYU (Atlantic Theater Co., Experimental Theater Wing).

Michael Mastro is honored to be directing Frank Gilroy’s Pulitzer Prize winning classic at George Street, where as an actor he has had the great pleasure of appearing in such plays as The Sunshine Boys with Jack Klugman, The Pillowman and Inspecting Carol. In December of 2010, Michael helmed a NYC benefit production of the comedy Hate Mail, starring Cynthia Nixon and John Slattery for Opening Act, a NYC non-profit that brings after-school theatre programs into under-served city schools. In the fall of 2010, he assisted David Saint in the mounting of the first national tour of West Side Story. Past directorial assignments include Love Letters, starring Bernadette Peters and John Dossett (also for Opening Act), as well as one-acts by many wonderful NYC playwrights including Warren Leight, Geoffrey Nauffts, Dena Douglas, Jeanne Dorsey and Sally Nemith with several NYC theatre companies including Naked Angels, Soho Shorts, Midtown International Theatre Festival, Gilgamesh, One Dream and the Atlantic Theatre School.

As an actor, Michael has just completed two years in the Broadway revival of West Side Story. Other Broadway credits include: Twelve Angry Men; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (with Ashley Judd/Ned Beatty/Jason Patric); Mamma Mia!, Judgement at Nuremberg; Side Man; Barrymore (with Christopher Plummer); Love! Valour! Compassion! Off-Broadway, he appeared in The Water Children (Playwrights Horizons), Escape from Happiness (Naked Angels). In addition to his roles at George Street, he has appeared regionally in Guys and Dolls (Paper Mill), Taming of the Shrew (Old Globe), The Dinner Party (Paper Mill/Coconut Grove), Buffalo Gal (Williamstown), Substance of Fire (Coconut Grove), Italian American Reconciliation, Two Rooms,and Hate Mail (all at Penguin Rep). Film: Kissing Jessica Stein, The Night We Never Met, Jungle 2 Jungle, Borough of Kings. TV: “Alias,” “Hack,” “Deadline,” “Cosby,” lots of “Law & Order.” He is a proud member of four unions, including Actors Equity and SDC, and he is also a proud member of Naked Angels, a New York City-based theatre company celebrating it’s 25th Anniversary this year.

Frank Gilroy was born on October 13, 1925 in New York City, the son of Bettina (née Vasti) and Frank B. Gilroy, a coffee broker. His father was Irish-American and his mother was of Italian and German descent. Gilroy lived in the Bronx for most of his childhood and attended DeWitt Clinton High School. He then enlisted in the army after graduation. He served two and a half years in the 89th Division where eighteen months were in the European Theatre. After the war, he attended Dartmouth College and received his B.A. with magna cum laude. Later in 1966, he would receive an honorary Doctor of Letters. He also received a grant from Dartmouth that allowed him to attend the Yale School of Drama.

Gilroy wrote in the Golden Age of Television for such shows as Playhouse 90, Westinghouse Studio One, The United States Steel Hour, Omnibus, Kraft Television Theatre, and Lux Video Theatre. His entrance to theatre was marked with his 1962 play Who'll Save the Plowboy? at the Phoenix Theatre in New York which won the OBIE Award. The play follows Albert Cobb, a man who once dreamed of owning a farm becoming a plowboy. He and his wife Helen are awaiting to be reunited fifteen years after World War II, along with Larry Doyle, the man who saved his life. The title comes from when they were in the war, and Albert was staked as bait by the Germans, and Larry kept shouting "Who'll Save the Plowboy?" until he finally crept out and saved him. May of 1964 saw the opening of The Subject Was Roses, which has been compared to Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night.

That Summer, That Fall (1967) is a version of the Hippolytus-Phaedra story. The play is set in an Italian neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in an apartment complex. Gilroy's works include screenplays for the films Desperate Characters (starring Shirley MacLaine) and The Gallant Hours (starring James Cagney). He has also adapted his own plays for film, including The Subject Was Roses (starring Patricia Neal, Martin Sheen and Jack Albertson) and The Only Game in Town (starring Elizabeth Taylor and Warren Beatty). His 1985 screenplay for The Gig (starring Cleavon Little and Wayne Rogers) has been adapted as a musical, with book, music, and lyrics by Douglas J. Cohen. A 2006 Off-Broadway presentation and recording by the York Theatre Company starred Karen Ziemba, Stephen Berger, Michele Pawk, and Michael McCormick. Gilroy has also written fiction, including the novel From Noon Till Three, which was adapted into a film starring Charles Bronson. In addition to writing the screenplay, Gilroy also directed the film. Gilroy also contributed to several TV westerns in the late 1950s, including Have Gun - Will Travel and Wanted: Dead or Alive. His later credits include a 1977 adaptation of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe novel The Doorbell Rang as a television movie featuring Thayer David.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director David Saint, George Street Playhouse has become a nationally recognized theater, presenting an acclaimed mainstage season while providing an artistic home for established and emerging theatre artists. Founded in 1974, the Playhouse has been well represented by numerous productions both on and off-Broadway – recent productions include the Outer Critics’ Circle Best Musical Award-winner The Toxic Avenger, the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Drama League nominated production of The Spitfire Grill and the recent Broadway hit and Tony® and Pulitzer Prize winning play Proof by David Auburn, which was developed at GSP during the 1999 Next Stage Series of new plays. In addition to its mainstage season, GSP’s Touring Theatre features three issue-oriented productions that are seen by more than 60,000 students annually. George Street Playhouse programming is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Continental Airlines is the official airline of George Street Playhouse.

Monday, December 20, 2010

The Theatre at Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) in Branchburg will present Windwood Theatricals’ production of The Music Man, Sunday, January 23, at 2 p.m.

The presentation is part of the Theatre’s 2010-2011 Merck Series, made possible for the past 19 years by a generous grant from The Merck Company Foundation.Tickets cost $40 and $45.

An affectionate paean to Smalltown, USA of a bygone era, Meredith Willson’s The Music Man follows fast-talking traveling salesman Harold Hill as he cons the people of River City, Iowa into buying musical instruments and uniforms for a boys’ band he vows to organize. And this is all despite the fact that he doesn’t know a trombone from a treble clef.

Filled with classic musical fun, tender romance and such favorite tunes as “Seventy-Six Trombones,” “Goodnight My Someone,” “Gary, Indiana” and “Till There Was You,” The Music Man is the perfect all-American music. The original Broadway production received five Tony Awards, including “Best Musical.”For the seventh year in a row, Courier News readers voted The Theatre at RVCC as the “Best of the Best” in 2010 in the “Theater” category.

To purchase tickets or for more information, call the Box Office, 908-725-3420, or order online at www.rvccArts.org. A variety of subscribers’ packages are available for all Theatre series. Senior citizen, student and group discounts are also available for a variety of performances.RVCC, located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, NJ, and serving Somerset and Hunterdon County residents for over 40 years, offers more than 90 associate degrees and certificates. In addition, customized training programs and non-credit courses are available for those seeking personal and professional development.

The College is committed to offering a quality and affordable education through effective teaching, liaisons with the community’s businesses and state-of-the-art technology. For further information, visit www.raritanval.edu.

Charlotte's WebAdapted from the book by E.B. White by Joseph RobinetteNow through January 2You grew up with it. Your kids love it. Now see it brought spectacularly and imaginatively to life onstage. With adults, kids, and puppets, too. Celebrate the true meaning of friendship and family with Charlotte the spider, Wilbur the pig, and all the humans and animals on the Zuckerman farm. From the director of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, this is perfect holiday experience to share with your whole family.For more information, or to purchase tickets: (732) 345-1400

The cast of Tri-State Actors Theater's 2009 production of A Christmas Carol.

A Christmas CarolAdapted by Paul Meacham, from DickensNow through December 23A holiday treat for the whole family. The Christmas classic by Charles Dickens in a delightful adaptation — the miserly Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, the ghosts of past, present and future — all in this wonderful recreation.

Having a birthday on Christmas Day isn't as exciting as it may seem and for one small child the holiday spirit is hard to find. It only gets worse when the child gets lost while shopping.But it wouldn't be the holidays without a bit of magic. This original production is full of traditional holiday music and designed for all ages. For more information, or to purchase tickets:(609) 492-9477

Les MiserablesComposed by Claude-Michel Schoenberg; libbretist, Alain Boublil; lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. Based on the novel by Victor HugoExtended through December 30

Romance, revolution and redemption, stirring songs including “I Dreamed a Dream” in a dynamic new production. This is the show that inspired Frank Rich of The New York Times to write, “If anyone doubts that the contemporary musical theatre can…yank an audience right out of its seat, he need look no further.”For more information, or to purchase tickets:(973) 376- 4343

The Tangled SkirtBy Steve BraunsteinNow through January 23 (World Premiere)

A thriller in the tradition of Alfred Hitchcock, where a woman on the run and a man who knows too much meet at a desolate bus station, each waiting for the last ride out of town. Will the need to keep their secrets from one another prove a strong enough match for passion and fate?For more information, or to purchase tickets:(732) 229-3166

A Christmas CarolBy Charles Dickens, adapted by David ThompsonNow throught December 26By Charles Dickens, adapted by David Thompson. Celebrate the season with McCarter’s acclaimed and beloved production of Charles Dickens’ classic holiday tale. Join Ebenezer Scrooge on a magical journey through Christmas past, present, and future and experience the show that has become a delightful holiday tradition for the whole family!For more information, or to purchase tickets:(609) 258-2787

... And Then I Wrote A Song About ItBy Eric Weinberger; music by Dan Acquisto; lyrics by Sammy BuckFinal performances this weekend! (World Premiere)

A one-man musical about a young man struggling to find himself in the late ’70s – early ’80s. To the chagrin of his father, he is an aspiring actor/singer/dancer/songwriter/author who works at a variety of other jobs to survive.Join Luna Stage Company in their new space at 555 Valley Road, West Orange.For more information, or to purchase tickets:(973) 395-5551

The Life and Adventures of Santa ClausBy Stephen L. Fredericks, based on the story by L. Frank Baum; music and lyrics by Derek Dibbern and David SpellmanFinal performances this weekend!

Before the corporate tale was created, L. Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz, created his own magical biography of the man called Santa Claus. As a foundling he is raised by the Immortals, but as he grows, he yearns to know more of his “own kind.” Baum’s American mythology celebrates the greatest gift we share — love!For more information, or to purchase tickets:(973) 347-4946

Holiday Jubilee Final performances this weekend! Holiday Jubilee is a fast-paced, theatrical musical revue for the entire family that celebrates the spirit of the holidays through a multicultural lens. A six-member ensemble performs holiday favorites with a little help from the audience.For more information, or to purchase tickets: (732) 545-8100.

The Little PrinceBy John Scoullar and Rick Cummins; conceived by Scott HitzeNow through December 30Based on Antoine de Saint-Exupery's fable, this beloved classic of children's literature has been turned into a warm, wonderous production for the whole family. Multiple Emmy Award-winning designer Michael Schupbach (Avenue Q, Sesame Street and Jim Henson's Puppet Workshop) designs the characters in this production.For more information, or to purchase tickets:(609) 884-1341

Written by a Newberry Award-winner, this new play dares us to step inside a freak-show like no other: a parade of 26 word obsessives, one per alphabet letter, all of them real. Logomaniacs is a vaudeville-style testament to our instinct for play, and our capacity for getting lost in the symbolic worlds we create.For more information, or to purchase tickets:(201) 200-2390

Mile Square Theatre - Hoboken A Christmas Carol - Based on Charles Dickens' story. Conceived and Created by Meg Pantera and Lenard Petit, with music by Sean Hagerty - Final performances this weekend!For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit the Mile Square Theatre website, or call (201) 683-7014Skyline Theatre Company- FairlawnIt's a Wonderful Life - A Live Radio-Play - By Joe Landry, based on the Frank Capra movie. Sunday, December 19thFor more information, or to purchase tickets, visit the Skyline Theatre Company website, or call (800) 474-1299